Discovery Column: New Year’ not as simple as Jan. 1

Monday

My son asked me why the new year starts Jan. 1. I answered without any research, as I often do, and said, “January is the first month, so the first day of the first month is when the new year begins.”

My son asked me why the new year starts Jan. 1. I answered without any research, as I often do, and said, “January is the first month, so the first day of the first month is when the new year begins.”

It seemed like a good, simple explanation, but upon further review I should have said, “That’s an excellent question, and the answer may be impossible to explain in 500 words or less, but here we go.”

The new year starts Jan. 1 if you follow the Gregorian calendar, which a great many people on this planet do. But if you do not follow the Gregorian calendar, your new year may begin in March, April or some other month altogether. As a matter of fact, some new years may not even fall on the first of any month.

Many countries, cultures and religions base the new year on the lunar cycle. The first day of the first lunar month is how Chinese New Year is determined. This year, Chinese New Year fell on Feb. 18, and in 2008, it will be Feb. 7.

Others base New Year’s Day on the sun. The Bahá’í calendar, for example, has the new year beginning on the vernal equinox, which falls around March 20 and is when the sun crosses the equator from the southern hemisphere to the northern; it’s also the first day of spring. Many other calendars use the winter solstice, which is when the sun appears the furthest south in the sky, around Dec. 20; it’s the first day of winter.

The Gregorian new year falls close to this day.

Until approximately 700 BC, the Roman calendar had only 10 months (March-December), and March 1 was New Year’s Day. January and February were added, but March 1 remained New Year’s Day for another 550 years.

So it seems you have a choice when it comes to a New Year’s Day, depending on who, when and where you are. You could, if you wanted, select your own new year’s day. If I had my choice, I pick March 31, when the Cubs start their season and hope springs eternal.

Regardless of when you decide the New Year begins, come celebrate the Gregorian New Year with Discovery Center at our Countdown to Fun event, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31. Make a crown and noisemaker, then count down every hour.

Kantorei, the singing boys of Rockford, will help ring in the new year at 1 and 2 p.m.
Countdown to Fun is free with paid admission: $5 for adults, $4 for children, free for members. For more information, visit DiscoveryCenterMuseum.org.

Mike Rathbun is an education specialist at Discovery Center Museum and will likely be asleep before midnight New Year’s Eve.

Rockford Register Star

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